Somerset vs Hampshire Match Prediction

SOM

59%

Chance of Winning

HAM

41%

Bet Now!

May 24, 202309:00 PM

T20

Cooper Associates County Ground

Defending Champions Hampshire kick off their season against Somerset in the Vitality Blast 2023 hoping to be the first team to defend the title since the inception of the tournament in 2003. The two sides will go head to head on May 24 at the Cooper Associates County Ground in Taunton which is scheduled to start at 18:30 IST.

Somerset vs Hampshire Chance of Winning

Somerset and Hampshire had a strong campaign last year with both teams ending up in play-off spots. Somerset ended up second on the table two places above Hampshire but were eventually knocked out by the eventual Champions in the semi finals. While Somerset did lose to Hampshire in the playoffs, they enter this game with the favourites tag. We believe this game is a must watch as it would be a close game to call but Somerset are likely to be eventual victors.

• Somerset’s chances of winning - 59%
• Hampshire’s chances of winning - 41%

Best Bookmakers for Sports Betting in India

Rank	Rating	Bonus	Link
#1	Stake.com 5 ★★★★★	Welcome bonus INR 100,000 Promocode SPORTSCAFE	DownloadRead Review
#2	4rabet 4.8 ★★★★★	Welcome bonus INR 60,000 Promocode SCAFE230	DownloadRead Review
#3	Batery 4.9 ★★★★★	Welcome bonus INR 25,000 Promocode SCBAT	DownloadRead Review

Somerset vs Hampshire Prediction & Betting Tips 2023

Hampshire started off their campaign in the 2022 Vitality T20 blast with a string of defeats in their first four games. This included the first of the two games that they played against Somerset in which the Hampshire batsmen could not get going and succumbed to mere 123. However, Hampshire were able to turn things around which coincided with the brilliance of James Vince. The eventual Champions managed to win nine of the remaining ten games to clinch a playoff berth, toppling Gloucestershire and Glamorgan for the final playoff spot. In the second match against Somerset, James Vince changed the script scoring an unbeaten century and single handedly carried his team over the line, winning the game by 14 runs. Hampshire were the deserving champions as last season as their improbable run to the final, after losing first four games, showcased. It demonstrated their mental strength and grit to grind out results when the chips were down.

Unlike Hampshire, Somerset had a great start to the tournament winning five of the first six games in the Vitality Blast 2022. They were able to carry that form in the group stages winning ten games and missed the top spot by a single point to Surrey whose washed out game became a deciding factor at the end. However, in the playoffs after a dominant win against Derbyshire, they went head to head against Hampshire which turned out to be a one sided affair. Somerset failed to chase down 190 and were comprehensively beaten by 37 runs. Regardless of how the tournament ended there were a lot of positives to take from the last tournament which includes impressive batting by Rilee Rossouw and are considered as one of the favourites to win the tournament.

Somerset vs Hampshire Match Toss Prediction

In the eight matches played at the County Ground in Taunton last season, on six occasions the team batting first has won the game which includes Hampshire’s 14 run win against Somerset at the venue. Hence it wouldn’t be a surprise, whichever team wins the toss might decide to bat first to turn the odds in their favour.

Weather Report

While it is expected to be cloudy, it is very unlikely that the game will be called off as chances of rain are minimal. The maximum temperature during the game will be around 19C while the minimum is expected to be 9C making conditions well suited for a game of cricket.

Somerset News & Player List

Somerset Player List

Tom Abell (c), Kasey Aldridge, Sonny Baker, George Bartlett, Tom Banton, Shoaib Bashir, Jack Brooks, Josh Davey, Steven Davies, Sean Dickson, Lewis Goldsworthy, Ben Green, Lewis Gregory, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Tom Lammonby, Jack Leach, Ned Leonard, Roelof van der Merwe, George Ogborne, Craig Overton, James Rew, Peter Siddle (Australia), Will Smeed, George Thomas, Andy Umeed

Predicted Playing XI

Somerset Team Form

Somerset enter this game on the back of a good season last term finishing second on the table a point shy of top place finish in the group winning ten of the fourteen games in the group stage. They will want to establish their authority quickly this time as well and a win against the Champions will do just that.

Hampshire News & Player List

Hampshire Player List

Hampshire squad:James Vince (c), Mohammad Abbas (Pakistan), Kyle Abbott (South Africa), Toby Albert, Keith Barker, Ben Brown, Jack Campbell, Mason Crane, Scott Currie, Liam Dawson, Aneurin Donald, Joseph Eckland, Nathan Ellis (Australia), James Fuller, Nick Gubbins, Ian Holland, Benny Howell, Ben McDermott, Fletcha Middleton, Felix Organ, Harry Petrie, Tom Prest, John Turner, Joe Weatherley, Brad Wheal, Ross Whiteley, Chris Wood

Predicted Playing XI

Hampshire Team Form

After losing the first four games of the tournament they only managed to lose one game in the remaining fixtures against Surrey. They were crowned champions for a record equalling third time after winning a historic final against Lancashire by one run.

Somerset vs Hampshire Head to Head

Somerset and Hampshire have faced off 24 times in the Vitality T20 tournament. Somerset have an upper hand as they have won 15 times. However in the last two tournaments both teams have faced each other six times with both teams sharing the spoils.

T20 played - 24

Somerset win(s) - 15

Hampshire win(s) - 9

Somerset vs Hampshire Betting Odds

Hampshire to have a low opening partnership

Last year, Hampshire struggled to have great starts in the games especially at the start of the season. Apart from the two games where the openers responded to the criticism and had an opening stand of 124 and 132 they averaged 20.37 in eight of the first ten games. In the two games they played against Somerset in the group stages, Hampshire managed to get an opening stand of 2 and 0. Looking into the underlined stats we believe it's safe to say that the probability of a good opening partnership for Hampshire is very low, giving us a huge opportunity to take home some quick money and we reckon you should grab this opportunity with both hands.

Somerset vs Hampshire Top Team Batters

Will Smeed to be Somerset’s top batter

Will Smeed had a solid campaign last season scoring a total of 407 runs and was one of the top run scorers for Somerset. In the three games he played against Hampshire, the South African managed to score 22, 43 and 9. With the absence of Rilee Rossouw who was the top scorer for Sumerset last season, Smeed would be our top pick for this game.

James Vince to be Hampshire’s top batter

It's really hard to pick any other player as a top batter when you have the tournament top scorer in your batting lineup. James Vince was phenomenal for Hampshire last season scoring 678 runs which also includes two 100s and three fifties. His greatest knock came against Somerset when he scored an unbeaten 129 and single handedly took his team over the line.

Somerset vs Hampshire Top Team Bowlers

Ben Green to be Somerset’s top bowler

Ben Green made significant strides in 2021 and 2022 to book a place as first team regular for Somerset especially in white ball formats. In 2022 Vitality T20 Blast, Green managed to take 21 wickets and was the top wicket taker for his team. The 25 year old has made significant strides since getting recognised in the U19 World Cup in 2016 and is expected to be a key contributor for Somerset in this game.

James Fuller to be Hampshire’s top bowler

James Fuller was the top wicket taker for Hampshire in their title winning campaign. In three games against Somerset, Fuller managed to grab four wickets even though he had bowled at high economy rate. His ability to take crucial wickets and disrupt the innings is second to none which makes him our pick for the top bowler in the game.

Our Prediction

Favorites to win: Somerset

Somerset came up against last season’s Champions twice in the group stages with both teams sharing the spoils. However, the semi final was a one sided affair as Hampshire beat Somerset by 37 runs. Somerset had a solid group campaign winning ten of the 14 games last year and eventually finished second a point shy of Surrey who topped the group. We believe Somerset will have another strong campaign and should have enough in the tank to get past the defending champions in the opening round.

The oddsmakers have looked at this and have opted to go against the champions on this one, handing Somerset the title of favourites by giving them lucrative odds of 1.70. Hampshire, on the other hand, are expected to start the campaign with a loss with Melbet offering odds as high as 2.15. We believe the smart money will be on the favourites for this clash and Somerset will walk away with the points.

• Somerset to win @ 1.70 (Melbet)
• Hampshire to win @ 2.15 (Melbet)

Shankar Shekh

Sportscafe's author

Bet Now!